Stories by Kiera Dellacroix

by Dellacroix, Kiera

  "No, I'm sorry."

  "Exactly how long ago did Julie leave?"

  "Seven years, three months, nineteen days," she replied immediately.

  I stared at her thoughtfully.

  "Did Sidney bury her, Detective?"

  "My name is Maddie, and yes, he did."

  "I'll call him, I want to visit," she said, her eyes starting to shine again.

  "Do that and then give me a ring," I said as I rose to my feet. "I'm sorry, but I need to go."

  "I'll talk to you soon."

  "I hope so, Dawn."

  She rose to see me out and I smiled at her before I took the steps. Emotions were churning inside me, and none of them were gentle or forgiving. The more I learned, the angrier I became. Tish never had a chance; with every step she took there had been someone waiting in line to abuse her. She endured it all if only to look after a sister that adored her. I wish everybody had that kind of fortitude, I sure as hell didn't. I flinched as I recalled the words I'd spoken to her when we first met, they tasted bitter now and I wished I could take them back.

  "You in there, Maddie?" Lance asked.

  I blinked. "Huh?"

  "We've been in the car for five minutes, you haven't said a word."

  "Sorry, just thinking."

  "I'll bet. I'll also wager that if you follow Julie's trail long enough, it'll give you all the answers."

  "I believe you're right, but how long is the trail?"

  "Who knows? The next thing you learn could be the game breaker."

  "I hope that's the case."

  "You never know. I assume you'll be going to Madison?"

  "Yeah."

  "When?"

  "In the morning. That is, if you don't mind putting me up for another night?"

  "Nope, but I'm going to insist you buy me dinner."

  I chuckled and settled into my seat for the drive back. "Deal."

  ----------

  I lay in bed that night and contemplated a great many things. I thought about how lucky I'd been, about how I took so much for granted. How might my life have turned out if I hadn't had a parent like Gus? Could I have been a Tish Binkowski? Was it just luck of the draw? What would it have been like to grow up knowing that no matter where you turned you were always outnumbered and that there was someone or something lurking behind every corner in search of a victim? What would it be like to be that victim? I couldn't even imagine, nor did I really want to. Tish's life had been one horror after another but deep down, she was a better person than I could've hoped to be if I'd had to walk in her shoes.

  And what about me? When I got out of bed in the morning I had every intention of beating Lloyd Parker to within a pubic hair of his life. I was looking forward to it. With that asshole Senator I'd just lost control, but with Parker, it would be premeditated. And then there was the killer, a person that I could no longer deny I wanted to murder in cold blood. Was I a monster? Did I have the right to dispense justice the way I saw fit? The answer was chilling because it went against everything I wanted to believe in. I wanted to believe that the system worked, but the truth of the matter is, it worked for some and overlooked others. It turned an unseeing eye on people like Hilary and Parker while people like Tish paid the price.

  Did the simpleminded fools that protested fanatically against the death penalty really know what it was like to be a victim? How many of them had lost a loved one and lived with the knowledge that the killer who had taken that person from them was growing fat in prison? Did they really have a clue?

  Did anyone in this country really know what it was to be oppressed? For the most part, the answer had to be no. In America, unlike other places in the world, you weren't executed because of your religious denomination, your sexual orientation, or because you happened to be a race other than white.

  Tish knew what oppression was.

  Where was Greenpeace when Tish needed help? Where were the morons that thought abolishing guns would abolish crime? Where was Jesse Jackson, and why wasn't he there to be part of the problem and not the solution? Why was there not an Ivy League professor, that hadn't spent a moment of his life in the real world, appearing on CNN to inform the masses how the virtues of irresponsible government could've saved the day? Johnny Cochran sure as shit wasn't going to represent her. No one was gonna throw her a gay pride parade or a Million Mom march, and religion couldn't have been much solace to a woman who had to sell her body. All she wanted was to survive and, in the end, it just wasn't enough. Any zealot, who screamed for rights they thought they were somehow deprived of, might want to step off their egotistical soapbox and look around before starting in with the rhetoric. There was always someone worse off than you. Tish had been entitled to the most basic of rights yet was denied all of them. A silent victim who had real problems. Who screamed for her?

  Maybe I was a monster, but I didn't really give a fuck. I'd scream for Tish. I couldn't save the world, but I just might make it a little bit cleaner.

  Eventually, I rolled over and closed my eyes. I missed Anabel and, if I accomplished nothing else, I wanted to try my best to be everything to her she wanted me to be.

  ----------

  Lance was waiting for me at the kitchen table when I got up and around. I set my bag down as I took a seat and looked curiously at the plastic case he had in front of him.

  "Morning," I said.

  "Good morning. Got some coffee on, wanna cup for the road?"

  "Please," I said. "Whatcha have there?"

  "Take a look," he said, sliding the box across the table.

  I opened it, removing a map, an envelope, and a tranquilizer pistol. I gave him a confused look.

  "Parker has a pair of mean dogs. They'll rush you if he ain't around to stop them or they don't know you."

  "Ah."

  "The map is to his place, he has a lot of land and it's off the main road."

  I nodded. "What's in the envelope?"

  "My address. Drop me a note and return my pistol when you've found who you're looking for."

  "I'll do that."

  "Be sure that you do."

  I glanced over the map, it was quite detailed. "This isn't a store bought map."

  "Nope."

  I looked at him knowingly. "You didn't make it last night either."

  He grinned. "Nope."

  "What were you waiting for?"

  He shrugged. "I'm the Sheriff and Parker knows it. I'd have to kill him, and I'm not prepared to do that."

  "I can understand that."

  He stood from his chair to pour coffee into two Styrofoam cups. When he placed one in front of me, I stood as well.

  "I don't think I can thank you enough for all your help," I mumbled.

  "Sure you can."

  "How?"

  "Tell me the truth."

  "What truth is that?"

  "You're not investigating, Maddie. You're hunting."

  I stared at him for a moment. "What tipped you off?"

  "You've asked all the wrong questions. You're only interested in the end result."

  I gave him a nod of concession. "You're right."

  He smiled. "Yep."

  "So why help me?"

  "A couple of reasons."

  "Wanna share?"

  He sighed. "Let's just say that I'm a little more jaded than I once was. There's more gray than there is black and white."

  I pursed my lips. "That's true."

  "Yeah, it is. You best be on your way."

  I dug a card out of my jacket and placed it on the table. "That's my number if you ever find yourself in town. Give me a call and I'll buy you another dinner."

  "Alrighty, I might just do that."

  "Good," I said as I reached down to grab my bag. I shouldered it and focused my eyes on the wall behind him, raising an arm to point. "What the hell is that?"

  He turned to look and I rushed forward to hug him, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "See ya later, Sheriff," I mumbled in his ear before turning to grab the st
uff off the table.

  He chuckled behind me as I made my way for the door. "See ya later, Maddie."

  ----------

  The Parker estate was actually quite impressive. From where I'd left my car, it had taken me almost forty-five minutes to travel to within sight of the house he lived in. The little dwelling was an eyesore in the middle of a mass of sparkling farm equipment, several shiny new cars, and a barn that must have cost a fortune. It didn't say much for his priorities.

  I squatted at the edge of a tree line and studied my destination through binoculars. Sure enough, there were two Dobermans lounging on the front porch. I considered my options. If I got too close, I wouldn't have time to load a second dart in the pistol Lance had given me before one of the dogs reached me. I'd have to try from a distance so I scrutinized my surroundings for a place to launch an offensive. Finally, I settled on one and gathered myself up for the trip.

  It was slow going. I couldn't risk alerting the dogs before I was ready and I went to great lengths to make as little noise as possible. Maybe I wasn't as stealthy as I thought, or maybe the dogs just picked up on my scent. Whatever it was, I knew I'd fucked up as I turned to check on them and found them running at full speed in my direction. Biting down on a sudden panic, I reached into my jacket for the tranquilizer pistol and leveled it at the closest of the rapidly approaching dogs.

  The dart struck the mutt in the neck and he whined at the impact, dropping to the ground and rolling back and forth in an attempt to dislodge it. I fumbled for the second one, trying to load it while keeping on eye on the remaining dog. My concentration was for shit, and I was turning to run when I felt the dart fall into the chamber. Closing in on terror as the dog closed in on me, I pulled the trigger and brought an arm up to protect my face and throat.

  The dog slammed into me like a ton of bricks and I lost my breath as my back hit the ground. I managed to throw the pooch off and roll to my knees, pulling my roscoe from the holster. Playtime was over. My finger was tight on the trigger when I noticed the dog wasn't moving, and a quick inspection revealed the dart in his shoulder. I bent over to catch my breath.

  After a moment, I rose to my feet and dusted myself off. I cast a careful eye on the house, but apparently my little ruckus had gone unnoticed. I made tracks for the front door, digging the required items out my bag.

  I wasn't a kung fu superstar and was too little to stand toe to toe with much of anyone. The secret to my success was trickery and brutality. I had no intention of underestimating Lloyd Parker, and I certainly wasn't gonna give him an opportunity to fight back. I held the stun gun in my left hand and the police baton in my right, hiding both behind my back and using my foot to knock on the door. An answer wasn't forthcoming so I kicked it again, louder and longer.

  "What the fuck!" a voice boomed from inside.

  I waited and kicked the door one more time. I could hear footsteps pound toward me from inside and I readied myself.

  The door flew open and I was confronted by an enormous man, dressed only in boxers, and sporting one hell of an angry expression.

  "Are you Lloyd Parker?" I asked sweetly.

  "Yeah, where are my dogs and who the hell are you?"

  I turned a quick look over my left shoulder. "Your dogs pissed me off and you can just call me tardy."

  I waited for his eyes to focus on the dogs behind me and I pounced, stabbing him in the chest with the stun gun, and following it up with a roundhouse blow to the jaw with my baton. He hit the ground like a freefalling grand piano.

  A scream sounded from within and I stepped over his comatose body to enter the house. The screeching stopped as I became visible and my eyes landed on a half naked woman with an awesome set of jubilees. A closer inspection revealed bruises on her body and face.

  "Is…is he dead?" she asked.

  "No. Is there anyone else here?"

  She shook her head. "Who are you?"

  "Do you want to stay here?"

  She looked at the ground. "No."

  "Then get dressed and go. Pretend you never saw me."

  "I… I don't have a car or any money."

  "Take one of Lloyd's, does he have any cash in the house?"

  "There's a safe in the bedroom."

  "Pack your things. He'll be coming around soon," I said, turning around and dropping to my knees to place a pair of handcuffs on the unconscious Parker.

  When I stood, she was gone and I dug my smokes out of my jacket as I walked over to seat myself at a table. I didn't worry about an ashtray. I was almost done with it when he began to stir and I rose to travel back to the door, flicking my butt out into the yard.

  His eyes fluttered open and he groaned, coughing fitfully for a moment and spitting out a mouthful of blood. I nudged him with a foot.

  "How do you open the safe in the bedroom?"

  "I think you broke my fuckin' jaw," he grunted.

  "If it was broke, you wouldn't be talkin' to me."

  He tried to rise, but a foot to the kidney put him back down. "If you try to get up again, I'll bust your head. How do you open the safe?"

  He shook with rage. "Who the fuck are you?"

  "I won't ask again. How do you open the safe?"

  "Fuck you!"

  "Oh, dude. Wrong answer."

  The baton landed on one of his knees. He screamed and writhed around on the floor.

  I waited for him to get a grip on his pain. "The other one will crack just as easy."

  He growled through clenched teeth. "The key's in the coffee can above the sink."

  "I'm gonna go look. If I have to run back over here because you tried to move, you'll be sorry."

  I glared at him for a moment and then traveled into the kitchen to rummage through the cupboard. Decaffeinated. What a loser. I dug through the can to find the key, lifting it up to my lips to blow the grounds from it. Grinning, I puttered out to the porch and sat down cross-legged in front of him. He stared at me with spiteful eyes.

  "What do you want?"

  I ignored him.

  "What the fuck do you want?" he yelled.

  I lit up another cigarette. It didn't take long for the woman to reappear and she approached hesitantly, a bag over her shoulder and a second one clutched tightly to her chest. I waved her forward.

  "Here's the key to the safe," I said, extending it over Lloyd's body. "Take whatever you want."

  "Don't you do it, bitch," he growled. "I'll find you. Wherever you go, I'll find you."

  She flinched and I spoke quickly. "Don't listen to him. Just take a car, the money, and go. Don't look back."

  Her eyes flickered back and forth between us for a moment but the decision was quick in coming. She reached for the key and raced back into the bedroom.

  "I'll kill you for this," he snarled at me.

  "I don't think so."

  "Who the fuck are you?"

  I took a drag and waited. A few minutes later, the woman emerged from the bedroom. I almost chuckled as she hopped over Lloyd and beamed an excited smile at me. "There was a lot of cash. A whole lot."

  "Bitch! Fucking bitch!" he screamed.

  "Take the money and run," I said, smiling back at her.

  "You sure?"

  "Yeah."

  "Will he come after me?"

  "No."

  To my horror, she started to cry. But, to my amusement, she turned and fired off a series of kicks into Lloyd's stomach. When she was finished, she turned to me with shining cheeks. "Thank you."

  I nodded and she shot me another grin before bounding down the steps and rushing off toward one of the cars. I watched her drive away and turned my attention to the lump of shit at my feet.

  "I don't think she liked you very much."

  "Who cares what that dead cunt thinks? I'll kill her and I'll kill you."

  "Julie Booker got away, didn't she, Lloyd?"

  His eyes narrowed and I pulled her picture out of my jacket, lowering it so he could see. "She's very happy now. Her new husband loves he
r very much and would never hurt her or raise a hand against her."

  "I'll find that bitch too."

  "No, you won't. Who do you think sent me, Lloyd?"

  His eyes conveyed sudden understanding. God, he was dense.

  "Do you watch the news?"

  He gaped. "What the fuck does that have to do with anything?"

  "I just wanted you to know how far in over your head you are."

  He stared at me confusedly.

  "Do you know who Angelo Sirico is?"

  A blank look.

  "Julie married into the mob, Lloyd. This ain't a social call."

  He chewed on that for a moment and it was painful to watch. The man was dumber than a bag of hammers and I began to wonder what he did with the diaper every time he changed his mind. It was obvious that I'd have to explain it to him in terms a child would understand.

  "Do you want to live or die, Lloyd?"

  "You here to kill me?"

  "Now you're catching on."

  "You wouldn't be talkin' to me if there wasn't another option."

  My eyebrows climbed in surprise. He wasn't as stupid he pretended to be. "You're right. There's another option."

  "What's that?"

  I let my face grow hard. "Sheriff Toliver is gonna have you under the eye. If he overhears even the slightest rumor about you, someone will be back. They'll kill you, Lloyd. They'll kill your family, your pets, your friends, even people who owe you money. Your fuckin' days are numbered, and it's up to you as to how many you have left."

  I traded hands, taking the stun gun in my right. "Think about that. Think about it carefully, because the biggest mistake you could make in your revolting little life would be to think I'm bluffing. And just to make sure you're taking me seriously, I'm gonna leave you with a taste of what's to come. Remember me, but more importantly, remember Julie and everyone else you've damaged."

  I didn't give him the chance to respond and immediately placed my left foot on his neck, bearing down on him with all my weight. His eyes widened and he began to squirm furiously on the floor, kicking his legs violently in the attempt to dislodge me.

  I struggled; riding a two hundred and fifty pound man wasn't something I could pull off for long. A light smack to his temple with my baton dazed him long enough for me to remain in control.